Creating your internet dating profile
Senior Scene
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This is like a resume for a job but the “job” you’re applying for is for a partner in your life, or at least it is in my case, not exactly the same. Am I making any sense here?
My own daughter told me to lie. “You don’t look your age, Dad,” and she advised me – based on her views of what women did on dating sites – to “knock a few years off.” She talked me into it and I listed myself as ten years younger but on the first “date” I confessed and presented my drivers license - I was really older than she thought. Oops.
The inevitable came up: if you lied about your age, what else is fabricated?
Wrinkles don’t lie. “Laugh lines” bear close examination, and that paunch under your chin, regardless of age or sex, portrays much more than you care to tell. So once you’ve gotten the written portion of who you are and how you want to be perceived, the rest is easy, right?
No, it’s not.
Now on the three sites I’ve investigated, and ‘lo there are many, many more, most people put up one picture without an invitation to click on the photo to see more. That initial picture can be inviting or a put-off. Most women – sorry, guys, but I’m addressing what I think I know – post a picture of a smiling “head shot” that says “I’m gorgeous and you will want to know me.” Horsepucky. Clicking on this will bring up several other pictures in different poses, hopefully showing off that lovely figure unblocked by the family dog or other animals. And I’m not even going to mention dark, blurry or overexposed pictures.
Can ‘em!
My favorite is the woman who checked in the profile boxes “a few extra pounds” and proceeded to provide pictures with her cat, dog and even a horse that filled out the photos so you couldn’t tell if the “few extra pounds” meant her earlobes were large or she was in fact “heavy set”. Not that I have anything against a woman with girth – she generally lives longer than the guy who points this out!
No matter – I’m no male version of Jane Fonda and am not going to be the one to cast the first stone, as the old saying goes. As with most fluctuating weight people, I keep more than one wardrobe: thin, moderate and other.
So let’s look at your photos: They should be recent. The high school graduation picture is cute, but not appropriate for this use. Since you’re selecting the “mug shot” for your driver’s license can be forgotten, as well. The group shot with your family should at least feature YOU and not leave us guessing if you’re in the picture at all. Pictures of you taken from a hundred feet away won’t show what you really look like, nor do ones with sunglasses.
Got a favorite suit or dress? Wear it for one of the pictures. You’ll feel good and the picture will reflect this. Read and view other postings – look for the good points you can use.
Oh, and please double check your spelling – read what you’ve written – nothing reflects as poorly as having bad grammar or misspelled words. Send the right message about you.
Remember when your viewer comments about your pictures, you want to walk that fine line between having pictures that are joyous without being slap-happy (usually taken after copious shots of tequila) and those that resemble being called on the carpet by the boss for something you KNOW you’ve done wrong!
You know what I’m talking about here.
Guiseppe V. can be reach at “guiseppev8@gmail.com”
